Tuesday, July 19, 2011

My Only Beef with Chicago on Sunday: "You Can't Wrestle" Is Terrible

Pictured: Two guys who can wrestlePhoto Credit: WWE.com

I took my hat off for the Allstate Center crowd on Sunday for Money in the Bank. They were loud, enthusiastic and maybe most importantly, unique in whom they rooted for. They were almost perfect. Almost being the operative word here. Nothing in this life can be completely and consistently epic, but the qualm I had with the crowd in Chicago Sunday was a major one. It had to do with one of the chants they had during the main event.

They chanted "You can't wrestle!" at John Cena.

For one, it's not even original. The fans at the Hammerstein Ballroom chanted the same thing at Cena in 2006 at One Night Stand, which is hilarious given that the other guy in the match was Rob Van Dam. Secondly, it's patently not true. I know I beat a dead horse with this, and I know even better that people disagree with me on this vehemently, but Cena is a good worker, who before he got too comfortable with WWE booking patterns, was a great worker. I mean, would that main event have been widely praised as one of the best matches in WWE history (not of the year, but history) if Punk had to carry dead weight? I don't think so. Punk carried Randy Orton at WrestleMania and it was a good match. Cena and Punk here were equals, which is why this was an all-timer.

Thirdly, I have the same problem with this as the Impact Zone/indie-snob crowds chanting "This is wrestling!" It's a pompous, self-putting-over opinion. The crowd took it upon itself to appoint itself as the sole arbiter of quality, like they were making a commentary on the show, rather than reacting and interacting with the wrestlers. It's annoying.

Granted, it was the only thing wrong with the crowd all night, but it's something that gets my goat. Smart crowds are great, but there's such a thing as being too smart. When that happens, it detracts from the show, not adds to it.